


September 19th: Joey Rogers (Year 18)

by Wonderlandleighleigh



Series: Birthdays [5]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Gen, a li'l teen Dramas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-01
Updated: 2016-06-01
Packaged: 2018-07-11 14:44:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7056754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wonderlandleighleigh/pseuds/Wonderlandleighleigh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Joey turns eighteen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	September 19th: Joey Rogers (Year 18)

Joey Rogers smiles as he steps out into the backyard and looks around at the assembled party. His family and friends stand and sit around, their faces illuminated by the string lights hanging on trees and draped over the roof of the back shed. 

He just stands back, watching. Normally he spends his birthday away at school, but it fell on a Friday, so he’d piled his friends into a couple of cars after classes let out, and drove home, where his mother and father had planned the perfect birthday. 

If there’s one thing Steve and Zondra Rizzo-Rogers are good at, it’s planning a birthday party. 

Pop, it turns out, knows how to make the perfect pitcher of lemonade, and mom’s cooking is ridiculously good, mostly consisting of recipes passed down from one generation to the next. Homemade pasta, thick, delicious lasagna, carbonara sauces. Joey’s favorite is slowly cooking, the scent wafting from the kitchen of his mother’s Fettuccine Alfredo. 

The weekend is booked. Tonight is the birthday party that’s going to go late. Pop scored Mets tickets, for Saturday afternoon, and then dinner at the compound on Sunday night before he drives back to school. 

Uncle Tony catches his eye, looking amused. “Why are you standing there watching your birthday party happen? Get over here.” 

Joey takes a breath, bracing himself a little as he steps down. 

“Ladies and Gentlemen the man of the hour, Joseph Rogers!” Tony says, wrapping an arm around him. “Eighteen today, can legally vote and join the military.” 

“Air Force is always looking for a good man,” Rhodey says jokingly. 

Pop turns on Rhodey. “Nu-uh. No way. Army or bust.” 

Uncle Bucky lifts a beer in agreement. “Here, here.” 

“Oooooor, there’s always the colleges I’m applying to,” Joey chimes in. “You know. Uh...Juilliard...Manhattan School of Music...NYU...Banard…” 

“And what are you going to do with that music degree?” Rhodey asks. “You know how few people actually make it in the music business? It’s as much about luck as it is about talent.” 

Joey just grins. “Don’t worry about me, Uncle Rhodey, I’ll be fine.” 

“Hey, if Steve could get work as an artist during the depression, there’s no reason Joe can’t get work as a musician when things are nowhere near as bad,” Bucky points out. 

“Government-funded work,” Rhodey corrects him. “And then he joined the army.” 

Mom interjects then. “One, stop making my kid uncomfortable about his choices on his birthday, and two, dinner’s ready.” 

Joey breathes a sigh of relief and gives his mother a grateful look before heading over to the table to grab a plate of pasta. 

Damian walks up then and frowns at the food, wrinkling his nose. “Is it...is it vegetarian?” 

“Yup!” Joey confirms. “It’s just a whole lotta cheese.” He turns. “Willow, did you take your lactaid?” 

She nods and smiles, wedging herself in-between the two of them. “I did, lemme at it!” 

Joey chuckles and nearly bumps into a brunette in front of him. 

“Sorry!” she says, smiling, amused and a little embarrassed. 

Delia Simpson-Smythe. Schoolmate. Class president. Object of Joey’s undying affections who doesn’t have a clue. 

“No. Nope. All good,” Joey says quickly. “Have you ever had Fettucini Alfredo?” 

“Not like this,” Delia admits. “It looks amazing.” 

Yeah, my mom definitely understands how to make food happen,” Joey grins. 

“Ttt,” Damian voices behind him, and Joey pays him no mind because Delia is smiling at him. 

Delia is smiling at him, and it’s great. 

“Move it, Rogers,” Willow says jokingly. “There’s garlic bread at the other end of the table.” 

“Whu?” Joey blinks, and looks back at her. “Uh...yeah. Okay.” He steps aside with his plate, and grins sheepishly at Delia, who waves at him. 

Pop steps up next to him with his own plate, piled high with food. “You ever gonna ask that girl on a date?” 

Joey sighs heavily. “Well I -” 

“Hey, birthday boy!” 

He turns, and there is the other object of his affections. Tall and blonde, and wearing a leather skirt with a ripped up tank top. 

It’s Pop’s turn to sigh. “Did you invite her?” 

Joey shakes his head, pasta hanging out of his mouth as he watches the girl move toward him enticingly. 

“Hi, Cindy,” Pop says. “I didn’t know you were coming.” 

“It’s Cyn,” she says briefly, tartly, before turning back to Joey. “So? Are we getting out of here or what?” 

Joey manages to slurp up the rest of his pasta. “Uh...where would we go?” 

“Anywhere but here,” Cyn says. “This party is so lame.” 

“You uh...you weren’t really invited,” Joey reminds him, feeling annoyed. His parents put a lot of work into making this nice. 

“Whatever, come on.” 

“I’m not finished eating. Or...having a birthday party,” Joey tells her. “So...so no thanks.” 

She pouts at him and suddenly it feels like she’s everywhere as she wraps her arms around him. “Joeyyyyyy. Come oooooonnn.” 

“I’m seriously good where I am,” Joey says. “You should go, Cyn.” 

She glowers, and then shoves him a little. “Fine!” 

Joey watches her go, before blowing a breath out his nose. 

Pop waves. “Bye, Cindy.” 

“IT’S CYN!” 

“Yeah, I know,” Pop says, before turning to him. “So? Are you ready to talk about that yet?” 

Joey frowns and sets his plate down. “You gonna be mad?” 

“Did you injure anybody?” 

“No.” 

“Did you steal anything?” 

“No.” 

“Anybody die?” 

“No.” 

“Then, no, I won’t be mad.” 

Joey nods slowly. “So...so over the summer, Cyn and I had sex.” 

Pop nods slowly. “Uh-huh. You use protection?” 

“Yes.” 

“Now she won’t leave you alone?” Pop asks. 

“Jamie calls it ‘dickmatized?’” 

Pop frowns at him. “Were you uh...were you sober when it happened?” 

Joey looks down and shakes his head. “No. Not at all.” 

Pop sighs and pulls him into a hug, patting his shoulder. “Not the smartest thing you ever did…” 

“No.” 

“You okay?” 

Joey shrugs. “I guess. I mean it was fine. But she’s...I don’t think she’s really what I want.” 

“That’s a good thing to acknowledge,” Pop says. “You should probably tell her that.” 

“She might punch me.” 

“Well, that’s the price you pay sometimes,” Pop tells him. “One time a lady tried to shoot me.” 

Joey’s eyes widen. “What if she tries to shoot me?” 

Pop blinks, looking slightly worried, too, and pats his shoulder again. “Learn to duck.”


End file.
